Atomic clock stability and precision are fundamental to the performance of many applications including global positioning systems (GPS), advanced communications systems, and synthetic aperture radar. However, cost, complexity, clock size, and the state of current technology prevent advanced low-noise clocks from being used in these and many other applications. High-stability clocks can improve GPS performance and system integrity by reducing noise and extending the time duration between clock corrections. The use of portable high-performance clocks to distribute and decentralize precision timekeeping can help eliminate single point of failure weaknesses and ensure the integrity of communications and data storage transactions—even in GPS-denied environments. Advanced communication and synthetic aperture radar techniques can benefit from the low-phase-noise, low-drift microwave signals provided by atomic clocks. However, many of these applications are critically dependent on achieving high performance by maximizing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) while minimizing size, weight, and power. Current atomic clocks contain multiple lasers and each laser contributes to the size, weight, and power requirements for the clock. Such devices typically utilize a cloud of atoms collected and laser-cooled in an atom trap within a vacuum chamber. The designs of the trapping and detection laser system and optical layout have a major impact on the complexity and resulting size of the complete device. In many cold-atom clocks, measurement of the final atomic state is achieved via fluorescence detection. However, capturing fluorescence and minimizing detection of unwanted scattered light tend to be competing goals. In addition, multiple lasers provide potential points of failure and potential sources of instability for the system. A significant performance gap remains between atomic clocks developed in research laboratories and those that can be deployed into mobile environments.